Amityville Memorial High School

Driven by increasing enrollment and inability to provide needed instructional space within the aging high school, in 2016 the Amityville School District embarked on a multi-year journey to improve and renovate the district school facilities. Amityville Memorial High School, originally built in 1894, received a major portion of the $69.9 million improvement budget which ultimately manifested in a new 69,600-sf science wing + gymnasium addition, and various interior renovations throughout the school.

The science spaces include (8) new science classrooms (chemistry, biology, earth science, and STEAM labs) with prep rooms, offices, and general-purpose classrooms (math, health, social studies, special ed), along with a brand new gymnasium. To accommodate the new construction in the back of the historical High School, a half of the existing tennis courts needed to be relocated and rebuilt, allowing for proper building siting, student drop-off, and improved traffic circulation.

The 25,000-sf gymnasium building provides a new state-of-the-art home to the school’s successful athletic program. From 2000 to 2003, the Amityville Warriors won the New York State Boys Basketball Championships four years in a row, with several trips to the State finals in the following years. In this respect, the expansive 13,200-sf gymnasium features a full-size NFHS-compliant basketball court with (4) fully retractable bleachers capable of accommodating over 1,000 spectators. A one-story 6,500-sf locker room/coaches office structure is attached to the gym along with storage, engineering, and janitorial areas.

Visually, the Science Wing and Gymnasium addition represent a playful interaction of geometrical objects and squared forms (panels and windows) working together with solids and voids to create a coordinated, unique work of architecture. The gym lobby specifically delivers a dramatic visual experience as visitors enter through an A-shaped, natural light-filled vestibule, with several pyramid-shape skylights and bird-cage lighting fixtures overhead – with the Warrior pride on display all around.